My DH an I are going to Crete at the end of Aug/beginning of Sept and after Chania we can’t decide between Agios Nikolaos or Elounda as a base.
We're in our 50's love great food, charming local atmosphere and hoping for a lesser touristy feel.

TIA!

Both are tourist destinations. Elounda is a somewhat artificially created resort area - in the 1970s a Greek called Eleni Nacou (sp?) started the Elounda Beach Hotel. It was the first hotel/resort there and the small village of Elounda was still a lovely place (so was Elounda Beach...). Since then many high end hotels have opened in Elounda. Agios Nikolas was made "famous" by a UK TV series about the same time - I think it was called "The Lotus Eaters" but my memory is a bit foggy. Then it was still a reasonably small village though large compared to Elounda. Now it is a lot bigger. So whichever you choose - they are tourist destinations. Personally I would pick one of the high end hotels, with rooms with private pools, and just stay put there. If that's not what you are looking for - try Aghios Nikolas.

Thanks for the great insight Hambagahle. Is there another area altogether you would recommend instead after Chania?

The area between Chersonissos and Agios Nikolas is perfect for people who like to stay in big hotels without being disturbed by Greek tourists, Greek food or even Greek culture. Even the staff comes often from Bulgaria, Albania, Russia or so......

Probably not. I rather like the luxury hotels and it isn't true you don't have any Greek food. I have had some good meals in the past at Elounda Beach. We found a car helpful because we like to have a beach day and then a sightseeing day. and there is plenty to see in eastern Crete. (much more than just Knossos!). We spent a day, for example, in the south and visited Phaestos. I thought that was far more interesting than Knossos. all this said though - It has been a while since we were in Crete. Last summer, instead of staying somewhere we took a cruise which I thought given our ages was a good idea. It was disappointing...